AIM Launches Anti-Corruption Book

The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Hills Program on Governance and the Asia Foundation has launched a book entitled "Political and Social Foundations for Reform: Anti-Corruption Strategies for the Philippines" by Prof. Michael Johnston at AIM Makati.

In July 2009 and February 2010, the AIM Hills Program on Governance and the Asia Foundation brought Johnston to the Philippines to assess areas of corruption vulnerabilities in the country and to develop recommendations for addressing those vulnerabilities. He met with businessmen, government officials, academics and civil society leaders who provided him with insights on the governance situation in the country. According to Johnston, corruption in the Philippines is an example of the Oligarch-and-Clan syndrome that is found in countries offering significant and expanding political and economic opportunites but in a setting of very weak institutions. Corruption in these circumstances tends to be dominated by the dealings of a relatively small number of powerful figures and their followings. Professor Johnston is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Political Science at Colgate University in Hamilton New York. He has taught courses on political corruption and development issues and has taken part in the implementation of reform efforts in various countries.

In 2009, he received the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order, and in 2008, was ranked 36th on the list of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by Ethisphere, an International think-tank.